Apparatus for opening, spreading, and stretching textile fabrics.



PATENTED AUG. 28, 1906..

J. A. SAGKVILLE. APPARATUS FOR OPENING, SPREADING, AND STRETOHINGTEXTILE FABRICS APPLIGATION FILED OCT. 7. 1904.

THE NGRRIS PETERS can wnsmrvcrou, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

d rk-FILES ALLAN SAGKIZILLE,v OF MANCHESTER, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR. OPENING, SPREAD ING, AND STREICHIN-G TEXTILE FABRICS.

Specification of Letters-Patent.

Patented Aug. 28,1906}.

To. all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES ALLAN SACK- VILLE, a.- subject of'the Kingof:Great Britain and? Ireland, and a. resident of Pendlebury, Manchester,Englanchhave invented certain new and useful Improvements Relating toApparatus for Opening, Spreading, and Stretching Textile Fabrics, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention refers to and consists of a new or improved constructionof'arched expander for opening, spreading, and stretching textilefabrics, the chief merit of which is that it is much cheaper to produceand less liable to get out of order than the ordinary make of archedexpander, besides being more effective in action.

In essence the improved expander consists of a flexible shaft with orwithout a flexible protective covering and held to an arch formationacross the fabric to be treated, the distance between the two ends ofthe expander being slightly greater than the widest width of fabric. Thesaid shaft is composed, preferably, of coiled Wire, and the coiling ofthe wire is either the same from end to end of theshaft or one-half ofthe shaft is of a righthand coil and the other half of a left-hand coil,so that the shaft may be used with the protective covering fordelicately-tinted fabrics and without the said covering for otherfabrics.

Upon the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a front view,partly sectional, of the improved expander in its most usual formi. 6.,inclosed in a sheath of flexible protective material. Fig. 2 illustratesa like view of the improved expander, partly sectional, without theflexible protective covering. Fig. 3 illustrates the central portion ofFig. 2 to an enlarged scale. Fig. 4 illustrates diagrammatically the useof the expander. Fig. 5 illustrates the manner of adjusting theexpanders to increase or decrease the biteof the fabric. tion.

Referring to Fig. 1, a is a curved round bar of about one inch diameterand held at each end to the machine-frame by clamping-plates b andblocks 0. Onto such bar is threaded a length of coiled wire (I of aboutthree-eighths of an inch gage, the inner diameter of the coils beingpreferably such as to be an easy fit and allow the coils to readilyrotate around the bar. At each end the coiled wire is held againstlateral movement by collars e, fixed Fig. 6 illustrates a modificaon thebar by set-screws f. Neatly fitting a, over the coiled wire is a sheathor sleeve of flexible material 9, preferably indi'a-rubber,

its own contraction or suitable wrappings h at each end servingto keepthe sleeve in position.

When in use, the expander is usually used with two others. (See Fig.4.). ,The fabric to be treated first passes behind the uppermostexpander 1, then in front of the middle expander 2, then behind thelowermost exv,

pander 3, and finally onto the drying cylinder 4. In thus passing overthe expanders the fabric is caused to rotate each expander around itscurved bar a and with every point of its exterior surface to right andleft of the center of its length rotating in a plane divergent from theplane of every other point,

and such divergency gradually increasing toward the ends of the expanderthe fabric is gradually opened or spread out from its center outward inthe most eflective manner possible. By broken lines :1: 00 I show theamount of stretch near the center of the expander and by broken lines yy the amount of stretch near the end of the expander. To increase thebite of the fabric, the expanders 1 and 3 are adjustable, the blocks (1being carried by right and left handed screws 11, so that on rotation ofthe screws the upper and lower expanders approach or recede from themiddle expander, and thus increase or decrease the amount of fabric incontact with the surface of the expanders. (See Fig. 5.) To insure evenadjustment at both ends, the screws i may be operated by bevel-wheels jand a shaft k common to both.

When the expander is designed to be always used with the flexiblecovering 9, the coiling of the wire at may be of the same from end toend of the expander but when the expander is designed to be usedsometimes without and sometimes with the covering the coils of one-halfthe length of the expander will be right-handed and the coils of theother half left-handed. (See Figs. 2 and 3.) The wire in such case maybe in one piece, but in practice it will usually be in two pieces joinedby a central block Z, onto the oppositely-grooved ends of which the Wireis tightly wrapped, as shown in Fig. 3. At each end the coils will alsowrap onto bushes 'm, which, like the block Z, neatly fit and are free torotate on the bar a. Fixed end collars e are also used, as in Fig. 1. Inthis arrangement the wire is preferably round, but it may I that of thecoiled wire d will usually be plain;

be of a section which produces a stepped formation. (See Fig. 3.) c

When the unprotected expander is used in series, the-convolutions of theintermediate expander are the reverse of those of the other expanders,so that such intermediate expander shall not tend to undo the work ofthe other expanders. Instead of mounting the expander on a bar it may beset to a given arch during the course of its manufacture and besuspended by short rods 0, swivels p, and rods 9, (see Fig. 6;) but Iprefer to use the bar. In this modification the expander may also beused with or without the sleeve g. The exterior of the flexible sleeve 9or but it may be roughened. The coils in all cases are preferablyloosely coiled, so as to afford a slight lateral elasticity.

What I claim is 1. For opening, spreading and stretching across thefabric, and allowing it to rotate under the contact and traverse of thefabric,

as set forth.

2. For opening, spreading and stretching fabrics, an expander composedof a length of coiled wire with one half coiled to the right and theother half coiled. to the left, and means for holding such expander inan arched formation across the fabric and. allowing it to rotate underthe contact and traverse of the fabric, as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

JAMES ALLAN SACKVILLE.

Witnesses:

JOHN CAMP,

PIGKLES D. BAILEY.

